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Political News and Headlines From ABC News Radioen-us(c) ABC News RadioTrump tweets reference to inaccurate anecdote about Gen. Pershinghttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/59f70e83c8dacd5daa4381d9a5e1ebd5
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 18:16:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/59f70e83c8dacd5daa4381d9a5e1ebd5JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- In a tweet seemingly responding to the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday, President Donald Trump referenced a factually inaccurate anecdote about combatting Muslim enemies that he often repeated on the campaign trail.

Thirteen people were killed when a van drove through a crowd of pedestrians on a busy street in Spain's second largest city Thursday. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the act that left 100 people injured as well.

"Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught," wrote Trump, less than four hours after the attack. "There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!"

Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!

The president's post was apparently in reference to a legend about World War I-era Army Gen. John J. Pershing that he first told publicly during a campaign rally in Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2016. According to Trump, Pershing dipped the bullets used to execute Muslim terrorists in pig blood. The Quran prohibits the consumption of pork, which is considered to be "impure."

"They had a terrorism problem and there's a whole thing with swine and pigs and you know the story they don't like them ... and Gen. Pershing was a rough guy and he sits on his horse and he's very astute, like a ramrod. ... And he caught 50 terrorists that did tremendous damage and killed many people ... and he dipped 50 bullets in pig's blood," Trump explained.

"And he had his men load his rifles and he lined up the 50 people, and they shot 49 of those people," he continued. "And the 50th person he said, 'You go back to your people and you tell them what happened.' And for 25 years there wasn't a problem, OK? Twenty-five years there wasn't a problem!"

At the time the story was told, Politifact, an organization that fact-checks the claims of politicians, evaluated Trump's tale and concluded it to be "ridiculous." Politifact cited eight historians who not only noted that the evidence for the blood-dipped bullet aspect of the story "is thin," but also that violence and unrest continued in the referenced region in the Philippines for years during and after U.S. involvement.

It is unclear why Trump's original claim of "25 years" without "a problem" increased to "35 years" in his tweet Thursday.

Snopes, an additional fact-checking outlet, similarly rated the story as false. In its analysis, Snopes writes of a 1927 Chicago Daily Tribune story noting Pershing "sprinkled some prisoners with pig's blood," which was ultimately "more powerful than bullets" as a warning before releasing the prisoners, as well of a separate account that "attributed the deed to someone other than Pershing."

At a press conference from Trump Tower in New York Tuesday, the president outlined his stance on adhering to factual information in response to a question about his hesitancy to condemn hate groups following violent protests last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"It takes a little while to get the facts. You still don’t know the facts. And it's a very, very important process to me," said Trump, continuing, "So I don’t want to go quickly and just make a statement for the sake of making a political statement. I want to know the facts."

]]>JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- In a tweet seemingly responding to the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday, President Donald Trump referenced a factually inaccurate anecdote about combatting Muslim enemies that he often repeated on the campaign trail.

Thirteen people were killed when a van drove through a crowd of pedestrians on a busy street in Spain's second largest city Thursday. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the act that left 100 people injured as well.

"Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught," wrote Trump, less than four hours after the attack. "There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!"

Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!

The president's post was apparently in reference to a legend about World War I-era Army Gen. John J. Pershing that he first told publicly during a campaign rally in Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2016. According to Trump, Pershing dipped the bullets used to execute Muslim terrorists in pig blood. The Quran prohibits the consumption of pork, which is considered to be "impure."

"They had a terrorism problem and there's a whole thing with swine and pigs and you know the story they don't like them ... and Gen. Pershing was a rough guy and he sits on his horse and he's very astute, like a ramrod. ... And he caught 50 terrorists that did tremendous damage and killed many people ... and he dipped 50 bullets in pig's blood," Trump explained.

"And he had his men load his rifles and he lined up the 50 people, and they shot 49 of those people," he continued. "And the 50th person he said, 'You go back to your people and you tell them what happened.' And for 25 years there wasn't a problem, OK? Twenty-five years there wasn't a problem!"

At the time the story was told, Politifact, an organization that fact-checks the claims of politicians, evaluated Trump's tale and concluded it to be "ridiculous." Politifact cited eight historians who not only noted that the evidence for the blood-dipped bullet aspect of the story "is thin," but also that violence and unrest continued in the referenced region in the Philippines for years during and after U.S. involvement.

It is unclear why Trump's original claim of "25 years" without "a problem" increased to "35 years" in his tweet Thursday.

Snopes, an additional fact-checking outlet, similarly rated the story as false. In its analysis, Snopes writes of a 1927 Chicago Daily Tribune story noting Pershing "sprinkled some prisoners with pig's blood," which was ultimately "more powerful than bullets" as a warning before releasing the prisoners, as well of a separate account that "attributed the deed to someone other than Pershing."

At a press conference from Trump Tower in New York Tuesday, the president outlined his stance on adhering to factual information in response to a question about his hesitancy to condemn hate groups following violent protests last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"It takes a little while to get the facts. You still don’t know the facts. And it's a very, very important process to me," said Trump, continuing, "So I don’t want to go quickly and just make a statement for the sake of making a political statement. I want to know the facts."

]]>3 Representatives want to officially 'censure' Trump after Charlottesvillehttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/880d0d19d1984090d6e3cc7a27acb41a
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:30:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/880d0d19d1984090d6e3cc7a27acb41aDrew Angerer/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- In response to the President’s controversial remarks about the violence in Charlottesville, a trio of Democrats now want to censure the president.

Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-NJ, announced their intent to introduce a formal resolution of censure Friday when the House is back in session. A censure resolution, if adopted, would be a formal and historic rebuke of President Trump's remarks from Congress.

The draft resolution from the small group of Democrats cites specific actions the representatives believe merit censure:

“Whereas President Donald Trump’s immediate public comments rebuked ‘many sides’ for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and failed to specifically condemn the ‘Unite the Right’ rally or cite the white supremacist, neo-Nazi gathering as responsible for actions of domestic terrorism.”

and

"Whereas President Donald Trump has surrounded himself with, and cultivated the influence of, senior advisors and spokespeople who have long histories of promoting white nationalist, alt-Right, racist and anti-Semitic principles and policies within the country."

What is censure?

A censure in the context of the United States government is an official statement of disapproval or condemnation towards a public official, including cabinet members, judges, members of Congress and the president. While a censure does not remove an individual from office, it can send a powerful message rebuking his or her past actions or statements. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are censured are forced to give up any committee chairmanships.

How does it work?

The U.S. Constitution does not specifically mention censures, though article 1, Section 5, Clause 2 of the constitution states that “each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.”

There is no one process for passing censure motions in Congress. Unlike impeachment proceedings, which have very set procedural rules, a motion to censure could be introduced, debated or voted on in either the House, the Senate or both chambers simultaneously. It could be introduced jointly, in the form of what’s called a concurrent resolution, in both chambers or not. As is the case with other calls for other resolutions, there is no guarantee an individual representative’s motion to censure will be brought to the floor for a vote

When have censures been used?

According to the National Constitution Center, censure motions were introduced against presidents Abraham Lincoln, John Tyler, James Polk, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. However, the U.S. Senate has only successfully passed a censure motion against one president.

In 1834, the Senate censured President Andrew Jackson when he refused to submit notes from his Cabinet meeting regarding his veto against a Congressional motion to re-charter the First Bank of the United States. Henry Clay, a member of the rival Whig political party, then led the decision to censure Jackson. After 10 weeks of debate, Senate members voted 26-20 to pass the censure against Jackson for using "authority and power not conferred by the Constitution."

Largely symbolic in nature, the motion did not prevent Jackson from making his proposed changes to the bank, but according to the National Constitution Center, he remained angry about the decision for years. In a message to the Senate in April 1834 Jackson said the censure was “wholly unauthorized by the Constitution, and in derogation of its entire spirit.” The censure was expunged three years later in 1837 when the Democratic Party regained control of the Senate.

Since 1978, nine senators have been censured, with the most recent case in 1990.

The House last passed a censure measure against former Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-NY, in 2010 over violating ethics rules by misusing donations and failing to pay income taxes. According to the Congressional Research Service, 23 representatives have been censured.

]]>Drew Angerer/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- In response to the President’s controversial remarks about the violence in Charlottesville, a trio of Democrats now want to censure the president.

Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-NJ, announced their intent to introduce a formal resolution of censure Friday when the House is back in session. A censure resolution, if adopted, would be a formal and historic rebuke of President Trump's remarks from Congress.

The draft resolution from the small group of Democrats cites specific actions the representatives believe merit censure:

“Whereas President Donald Trump’s immediate public comments rebuked ‘many sides’ for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and failed to specifically condemn the ‘Unite the Right’ rally or cite the white supremacist, neo-Nazi gathering as responsible for actions of domestic terrorism.”

and

"Whereas President Donald Trump has surrounded himself with, and cultivated the influence of, senior advisors and spokespeople who have long histories of promoting white nationalist, alt-Right, racist and anti-Semitic principles and policies within the country."

What is censure?

A censure in the context of the United States government is an official statement of disapproval or condemnation towards a public official, including cabinet members, judges, members of Congress and the president. While a censure does not remove an individual from office, it can send a powerful message rebuking his or her past actions or statements. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are censured are forced to give up any committee chairmanships.

How does it work?

The U.S. Constitution does not specifically mention censures, though article 1, Section 5, Clause 2 of the constitution states that “each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.”

There is no one process for passing censure motions in Congress. Unlike impeachment proceedings, which have very set procedural rules, a motion to censure could be introduced, debated or voted on in either the House, the Senate or both chambers simultaneously. It could be introduced jointly, in the form of what’s called a concurrent resolution, in both chambers or not. As is the case with other calls for other resolutions, there is no guarantee an individual representative’s motion to censure will be brought to the floor for a vote

When have censures been used?

According to the National Constitution Center, censure motions were introduced against presidents Abraham Lincoln, John Tyler, James Polk, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. However, the U.S. Senate has only successfully passed a censure motion against one president.

In 1834, the Senate censured President Andrew Jackson when he refused to submit notes from his Cabinet meeting regarding his veto against a Congressional motion to re-charter the First Bank of the United States. Henry Clay, a member of the rival Whig political party, then led the decision to censure Jackson. After 10 weeks of debate, Senate members voted 26-20 to pass the censure against Jackson for using "authority and power not conferred by the Constitution."

Largely symbolic in nature, the motion did not prevent Jackson from making his proposed changes to the bank, but according to the National Constitution Center, he remained angry about the decision for years. In a message to the Senate in April 1834 Jackson said the censure was “wholly unauthorized by the Constitution, and in derogation of its entire spirit.” The censure was expunged three years later in 1837 when the Democratic Party regained control of the Senate.

Since 1978, nine senators have been censured, with the most recent case in 1990.

The House last passed a censure measure against former Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-NY, in 2010 over violating ethics rules by misusing donations and failing to pay income taxes. According to the Congressional Research Service, 23 representatives have been censured.

]]>How white nationalists, counterprotesters who were in Charlottesville prepare for rallieshttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/104676c25b02becd46e2da130b878c2f
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 16:44:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/104676c25b02becd46e2da130b878c2fiStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Months before the recent violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, white nationalists and their opposition, counter protesters, including those who call themselves anti-fascist, or antifa, and local residents, had a showdown during an "alt-right" rally in the small town of Pikeville, Kentucky.

One difference between that event and the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally is that no one died at the Pikeville rally.

The Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) hosted a “Take A Stand for White Working Families” rally in Pikeville on April 29. White nationalist Matthew Heimbach, a delivery driver and father of two, is the leader of the TWP and he had chosen Pikeville as the site for the rally.

Watch the full story on ABC News "20/20" FRIDAY, Aug. 18 at 10 p.m. ET

Eighty percent of the votes in Pike County, which includes Pikeville, cast for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Heimbach said he saw Pikeville, the town known for the famous family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, as fertile ground to recruit new members to his cause, creating a whites-only homeland

“I want to be a community organizer and the white working class is my community,” Heimbach told ABC News’ “20/20.” “I just want to be able to give my people a voice so they’re not disenfranchised.” Heimbach first made headlines in 2013 for his attempts to form all-white student groups at college campuses, starting with his alma mater, Towson University in Maryland.

“The Traditionalist Worker Party is a nationalist, socialist, secessionist political party, working to be able to fight for an independent national socialist white homeland,” Heimbach said.

Heimbach uses social media to help encourage new recruits and says his movement’s strongest area of membership is in Appalachia and in the Rust Belt.

“This is an area where people have just been left behind by the economy, where white folks feel that they don't have an advocate. This is where we're able to be there to speak for the forgotten Americans,” he said.

On the morning of the Pikeville rally, Heimbach and other members of his group camped out several miles away in the mountains, preparing for the day. Since Kentucky law allows open carry of weapons, many in the group had guns in their possession.

“We’re prepared to defend ourselves,” an attendee named Ken told “20/20.” “As you can see, many of us are armed, and we're ready.”

Some members at the event asked to remain anonymous, with one man telling “20/20,” “I’m a Baptist preacher, so I [have] got to maintain a low profile.”

The morning began with a lesson on how to wear gas masks and training exercises on how to stand in formation and march. In addition to weapons, the group also had shields.

“We’re carrying shields to be able to defend ourselves against their attacks,” said Heimbach, referring to the protesters they were expecting to show up at their rally.

“We want to be like ants. We’re a colony and we just go and destroy everything in our way,” a member of Vanguard America named Dylan told “20/20.”

As Heimbach’s group practiced in the woods, Pikeville city manager Donovan Blackburn was also getting prepared for the day.

“We have spoken with Homeland Security, and they’re aware and have made us aware also of a lot of chatter on social media,” Blackburn told “20/20.” “The counter protesters and the antifa are the groups that I’m concerned about.” Among those counter protesters were local residents not affiliated with antifa.

Daryle Lamont Jenkins, an antifa researcher and founder of One People’s Project, and Lacy MacAuley, a prominent antifa movement organizer, both helped bring people together in Pikeville to counter protest TWP’s rally. Jenkins’ organization monitors and publishes information about alleged racist and supremacist groups, individuals and activities.

“I’m not trying to shut them up. I’m trying to shut them down. I think that’s the goal,” Jenkins, who helped get the word out to antifa supporters about the counter protest, told “20/20.” “They have their freedom of speech. What is a problem is that they don’t want you to have yours.”

MacAuley got organized for the day with a megaphone, extra batteries and a black bandana.

"The universal anti-fascist symbol [is] three arrows pointing down,” MacAuley told “20/20.” Heimbach’s group was more than an hour late to the rally after its convoy got lost on the way down from the mountains. But once they arrived in Pikeville, they marched straight into a cacophony of noise and chants led by MacAuley on her bullhorn.

Heimbach, whose group had a permit to rally in the town, warned his followers to keep their emotions in check. “These people are not worth your time, your energy, the words coming out of your mouth,” he told them.

Both sides were armed: Some antifa members carried clubs, and some white nationalists had guns. Police kept each side restricted to fenced-in pens on opposite sides of a Pikeville downtown square. A line of officers used their bodies to physically keep them apart.

At one point, demonstrators on each side jumped the fences, and police rushed to push each side back behind their barriers, trying to keep them separated.

Police later brought in re-enforcements to help keep the peace, including deploying the state police riot team to assist in creating a barricade between the two groups.

As time ran out on the permit, members of Heimbach’s group headed back to their cars, with demonstrators following and taunting them. Nervous as they drove away past antifa in downtown Pikeville, Heimbach pulled his gun onto his lap.

“When you’ve got a lot of people that want to kill you, you’ve got to work fast and do your best to not get killed,” Heimbach said, laughing.

After a loud but ultimately safe day, Heimbach and his group headed out of Pikeville. He next helped organize the “Unite the Right” rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12. There, it was a very different scene, which resulted in three people dead and a 20-year-old man, who participated in the white nationalist rally, facing murder charges.

]]>iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Months before the recent violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, white nationalists and their opposition, counter protesters, including those who call themselves anti-fascist, or antifa, and local residents, had a showdown during an "alt-right" rally in the small town of Pikeville, Kentucky.

One difference between that event and the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally is that no one died at the Pikeville rally.

The Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) hosted a “Take A Stand for White Working Families” rally in Pikeville on April 29. White nationalist Matthew Heimbach, a delivery driver and father of two, is the leader of the TWP and he had chosen Pikeville as the site for the rally.

Watch the full story on ABC News "20/20" FRIDAY, Aug. 18 at 10 p.m. ET

Eighty percent of the votes in Pike County, which includes Pikeville, cast for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Heimbach said he saw Pikeville, the town known for the famous family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, as fertile ground to recruit new members to his cause, creating a whites-only homeland

“I want to be a community organizer and the white working class is my community,” Heimbach told ABC News’ “20/20.” “I just want to be able to give my people a voice so they’re not disenfranchised.” Heimbach first made headlines in 2013 for his attempts to form all-white student groups at college campuses, starting with his alma mater, Towson University in Maryland.

“The Traditionalist Worker Party is a nationalist, socialist, secessionist political party, working to be able to fight for an independent national socialist white homeland,” Heimbach said.

Heimbach uses social media to help encourage new recruits and says his movement’s strongest area of membership is in Appalachia and in the Rust Belt.

“This is an area where people have just been left behind by the economy, where white folks feel that they don't have an advocate. This is where we're able to be there to speak for the forgotten Americans,” he said.

On the morning of the Pikeville rally, Heimbach and other members of his group camped out several miles away in the mountains, preparing for the day. Since Kentucky law allows open carry of weapons, many in the group had guns in their possession.

“We’re prepared to defend ourselves,” an attendee named Ken told “20/20.” “As you can see, many of us are armed, and we're ready.”

Some members at the event asked to remain anonymous, with one man telling “20/20,” “I’m a Baptist preacher, so I [have] got to maintain a low profile.”

The morning began with a lesson on how to wear gas masks and training exercises on how to stand in formation and march. In addition to weapons, the group also had shields.

“We’re carrying shields to be able to defend ourselves against their attacks,” said Heimbach, referring to the protesters they were expecting to show up at their rally.

“We want to be like ants. We’re a colony and we just go and destroy everything in our way,” a member of Vanguard America named Dylan told “20/20.”

As Heimbach’s group practiced in the woods, Pikeville city manager Donovan Blackburn was also getting prepared for the day.

“We have spoken with Homeland Security, and they’re aware and have made us aware also of a lot of chatter on social media,” Blackburn told “20/20.” “The counter protesters and the antifa are the groups that I’m concerned about.” Among those counter protesters were local residents not affiliated with antifa.

Daryle Lamont Jenkins, an antifa researcher and founder of One People’s Project, and Lacy MacAuley, a prominent antifa movement organizer, both helped bring people together in Pikeville to counter protest TWP’s rally. Jenkins’ organization monitors and publishes information about alleged racist and supremacist groups, individuals and activities.

“I’m not trying to shut them up. I’m trying to shut them down. I think that’s the goal,” Jenkins, who helped get the word out to antifa supporters about the counter protest, told “20/20.” “They have their freedom of speech. What is a problem is that they don’t want you to have yours.”

MacAuley got organized for the day with a megaphone, extra batteries and a black bandana.

"The universal anti-fascist symbol [is] three arrows pointing down,” MacAuley told “20/20.” Heimbach’s group was more than an hour late to the rally after its convoy got lost on the way down from the mountains. But once they arrived in Pikeville, they marched straight into a cacophony of noise and chants led by MacAuley on her bullhorn.

Heimbach, whose group had a permit to rally in the town, warned his followers to keep their emotions in check. “These people are not worth your time, your energy, the words coming out of your mouth,” he told them.

Both sides were armed: Some antifa members carried clubs, and some white nationalists had guns. Police kept each side restricted to fenced-in pens on opposite sides of a Pikeville downtown square. A line of officers used their bodies to physically keep them apart.

At one point, demonstrators on each side jumped the fences, and police rushed to push each side back behind their barriers, trying to keep them separated.

Police later brought in re-enforcements to help keep the peace, including deploying the state police riot team to assist in creating a barricade between the two groups.

As time ran out on the permit, members of Heimbach’s group headed back to their cars, with demonstrators following and taunting them. Nervous as they drove away past antifa in downtown Pikeville, Heimbach pulled his gun onto his lap.

“When you’ve got a lot of people that want to kill you, you’ve got to work fast and do your best to not get killed,” Heimbach said, laughing.

After a loud but ultimately safe day, Heimbach and his group headed out of Pikeville. He next helped organize the “Unite the Right” rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12. There, it was a very different scene, which resulted in three people dead and a 20-year-old man, who participated in the white nationalist rally, facing murder charges.

]]>Republican senator calls for 'radical changes' from the White Househttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/fc87a54d57490b852de7f6565c2f9eb8
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 16:16:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/fc87a54d57490b852de7f6565c2f9eb8Paul Morigi/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Sen. BobCorker of Tennessee offered up a stinging rebuke of President Trump Thursday afternoon by questioning Trump's stability and competence as a leader in the wake of a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate that he needs to be successful," Corker said Thursday to group of reporters after an event in his home state.

Corker called for "radical changes" from the White House, delivering a pointed critique of Trump for his lack of discipline in handling a national crisis.

Corker, a conservative, excoriated Trump for his failure to appropriately speak to a nation still reeling from the racially charged incident over the weekend. Corker said Trump helped to fuel divisions in an attempt to generate support from his political base.

"Helping inspire divisions because it generates support from your political base is not a formula for causing our nation to advance and overcome the many issues that we have to deal with right now," Corker said.

"He also recently has not demonstrated that he understands the character of this nation," he went on. "He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today."

These are exceptionally strong statements from a U.S. senator against a member of his own party, and by far one of the most damning critiques of the president by a conservative GOP senator during Trump's presidency.

"He's got to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands that, without the things that I just mentioned happening, our nation is going to go through great peril," he said.

When asked by reporters if he thinks Trump has done enough to denounce Nazis and white nationalists, Corker said Trump didn't say what he should have.

“I don’t think that the president has appropriately spoken to the nation on this issue. And I think that sometimes he gets in a situation when he doubles down when he tries to ... make a wrong a right. I think he’s done that in this case. I would ask that he take stock of who he is as president of all the people in the nation," Corker said.

"Those of us who have positions of responsibility we have to understand that at the end of the day, in spite of whether people misunderstand or understand differently, our role is to make our nation great and to overcome these issues and it takes far more discipline sometimes, way more discipline, a lot of strength, inner strength to be measured and to try to solve problems," he said.

"I will say we're at a point where there needs to be radical changes take place at the White House itself, it has to happen," Corker warned. "The president needs to take stock of the role that he plays in our nation and move beyond himself, move way beyond himself and move to a place where daily he's waking up thinking what is best for this nation."

]]>Paul Morigi/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Sen. BobCorker of Tennessee offered up a stinging rebuke of President Trump Thursday afternoon by questioning Trump's stability and competence as a leader in the wake of a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate that he needs to be successful," Corker said Thursday to group of reporters after an event in his home state.

Corker called for "radical changes" from the White House, delivering a pointed critique of Trump for his lack of discipline in handling a national crisis.

Corker, a conservative, excoriated Trump for his failure to appropriately speak to a nation still reeling from the racially charged incident over the weekend. Corker said Trump helped to fuel divisions in an attempt to generate support from his political base.

"Helping inspire divisions because it generates support from your political base is not a formula for causing our nation to advance and overcome the many issues that we have to deal with right now," Corker said.

"He also recently has not demonstrated that he understands the character of this nation," he went on. "He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today."

These are exceptionally strong statements from a U.S. senator against a member of his own party, and by far one of the most damning critiques of the president by a conservative GOP senator during Trump's presidency.

"He's got to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands that, without the things that I just mentioned happening, our nation is going to go through great peril," he said.

When asked by reporters if he thinks Trump has done enough to denounce Nazis and white nationalists, Corker said Trump didn't say what he should have.

“I don’t think that the president has appropriately spoken to the nation on this issue. And I think that sometimes he gets in a situation when he doubles down when he tries to ... make a wrong a right. I think he’s done that in this case. I would ask that he take stock of who he is as president of all the people in the nation," Corker said.

"Those of us who have positions of responsibility we have to understand that at the end of the day, in spite of whether people misunderstand or understand differently, our role is to make our nation great and to overcome these issues and it takes far more discipline sometimes, way more discipline, a lot of strength, inner strength to be measured and to try to solve problems," he said.

"I will say we're at a point where there needs to be radical changes take place at the White House itself, it has to happen," Corker warned. "The president needs to take stock of the role that he plays in our nation and move beyond himself, move way beyond himself and move to a place where daily he's waking up thinking what is best for this nation."

]]>Trump lawyer forwards email praising Robert E. Lee as a 'great man'http://wbch.com/news/political-news/be9f8fc9e767ae1680f7a48bb20de051
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 14:59:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/be9f8fc9e767ae1680f7a48bb20de051iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Amid the fallout from President Trump's comments that "both sides" are to blame for the weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, his personal lawyer John Dowd forwarded an email to friends and associates casting Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee as a "great man" and saying that the Black Lives Matter movement has been "totally infiltrated by terrorist groups."

The email, first reported by the New York Times, was not written by Dowd -- but contained arguments promoting pro-Confederate propaganda. The email was sent to Dowd shortly after the president’s contentious press conference on Tuesday. Dowd later forwarded the email.

"The following information and argument President Trump should put forth concerning Charlottesville and General Robert E. Lee," wrote Jerome Almon, the author of the email.

Almon, who has promoted a number of conspiracy theories online and claims to have predicted several terrorist attacks, told ABC News in a phone interview that he is glad to see the information in the email he sent to Dowd "is getting out” and argued that Black Lives Matter is "just as racist as the KKK."

Almon, who is black, said his email was not meant to be sympathetic of the Confederacy but to make the case that Lee saved the country by surrendering at the war’s end rather than resorting to guerrilla tactics.

“Instead, [Lee] ordered the commander to tell his troops to go home, plant crops, and rebuild,” Almon said in the email he sent to Dowd, adding that “the protesters need to heed General Lee’s advice and go back to the ghettos and do raise their children.”

Almon's email praises Lee's actions ending the Civil War but doesn't go into the divisive issue of slavery. “You cannot be against General Lee and be for General Washington, there literally is no difference between the two men,” Almon writes in the email, equating the actions taken by the nation’s first president in leading the Revolutionary War to the actions of Lee.

A source familiar with Dowd's actions says the lawyer was simply forwarding on an email and was not espousing the ideas that it contained. The source said that Dowd is now receiving "hate calls" and that the frenzy created over the email demonstrates how the political discourse has gone "off the rails."

Almon describes himself as supportive of Trump's policies and said that the president was correct on Tuesday when he said there was blame on both sides for the violence in Charlottesville.

]]>iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Amid the fallout from President Trump's comments that "both sides" are to blame for the weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, his personal lawyer John Dowd forwarded an email to friends and associates casting Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee as a "great man" and saying that the Black Lives Matter movement has been "totally infiltrated by terrorist groups."

The email, first reported by the New York Times, was not written by Dowd -- but contained arguments promoting pro-Confederate propaganda. The email was sent to Dowd shortly after the president’s contentious press conference on Tuesday. Dowd later forwarded the email.

"The following information and argument President Trump should put forth concerning Charlottesville and General Robert E. Lee," wrote Jerome Almon, the author of the email.

Almon, who has promoted a number of conspiracy theories online and claims to have predicted several terrorist attacks, told ABC News in a phone interview that he is glad to see the information in the email he sent to Dowd "is getting out” and argued that Black Lives Matter is "just as racist as the KKK."

Almon, who is black, said his email was not meant to be sympathetic of the Confederacy but to make the case that Lee saved the country by surrendering at the war’s end rather than resorting to guerrilla tactics.

“Instead, [Lee] ordered the commander to tell his troops to go home, plant crops, and rebuild,” Almon said in the email he sent to Dowd, adding that “the protesters need to heed General Lee’s advice and go back to the ghettos and do raise their children.”

Almon's email praises Lee's actions ending the Civil War but doesn't go into the divisive issue of slavery. “You cannot be against General Lee and be for General Washington, there literally is no difference between the two men,” Almon writes in the email, equating the actions taken by the nation’s first president in leading the Revolutionary War to the actions of Lee.

A source familiar with Dowd's actions says the lawyer was simply forwarding on an email and was not espousing the ideas that it contained. The source said that Dowd is now receiving "hate calls" and that the frenzy created over the email demonstrates how the political discourse has gone "off the rails."

Almon describes himself as supportive of Trump's policies and said that the president was correct on Tuesday when he said there was blame on both sides for the violence in Charlottesville.

]]>What to know about presidential retreat Camp David, where Trump travels Fridayhttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/09f26dd4d5dbd3c7c9d3df3320999a66
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 14:29:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/09f26dd4d5dbd3c7c9d3df3320999a66Molly Riley -Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump is headed back to the rustic presidential retreat Camp David, the site of many historic discussions and private meetings between presidents and foreign dignitaries.

On Friday, the President will meet with his administration’s national security team at Camp David, along with Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence, who cut his week-long trip to Central and South America a day short to attend. The talks will focus on the president’s strategy in Afghanistan and in South Asia, according to White House officials.

Trump’s return to Camp David marks his second trip to the retreat, after his first visit over Father’s Day weekend with First Lady Melania Trump, their 11-year old son Barron and the first lady’s parents.

At the time, Trump tweeted, “Camp David is a very special place. An honor to have spent the weekend there. Military runs it so well and are so proud of what they do!”

Camp David is a very special place. An honor to have spent the weekend there. Military runs it so well and are so proud of what they do!

Camp David, located in the Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland, has played a prominent role in many presidential administrations, for both diplomatic meetings and personal vacations. The retreat is also an active military installation. Camp David is only a 30-minute helicopter ride from the White House. It is inaccessible to the public.

History of the camp

The camp was originally called Hi-Catoctin by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) prior to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps transforming it into a military installation.

WPA built the recreational area between 1936-1939 and federal employees used it for family camps. President Franklin Roosevelt first visited the camp in April 1942, after which it was chosen as the country location for presidential retreats. He renamed it “Shangri-la,” based on the fictional Himalayan paradise in James Milton’s 1933 novel “Lost Horizon.”

President Dwight Eisenhower renamed the site Camp David during his first visit in honor of his grandson, David.

Eisenhower also named the main president’s lounge “Aspen” in honor of the first lady, Mamie Eisenhower, who grew up in Colorado. The retreat boasts bedrooms, a small office, fireplaces, an outdoor flagstone patio, a heated swimming pool and a single golf hole with multiple tees.

How former presidents used the camp

Roosevelt started the tradition of hosting foreign leaders at the camp by inviting Sir Winston Churchill in 1943 at the height of World War II to review plans for the Allied invasion of Normandy. Roosevelt was photographed fishing with Churchill at a creek near the camp, and Churchill remarked that “no fish were caught” but Roosevelt “seemed to enjoy it very much, and was in great spirits”, according to Churchill’s “War Memoirs.”

Eisenhower visited the retreat frequently and added a bomb shelter, the golf course and several golf tees, as the Eisenhower archives note. Eisenhower was the first president to travel to Camp David from Washington, D.C., by helicopter, which greatly reduced the commute. He held meetings with his Cabinet and National Security Council at the retreat while recovering from a heart attack in 1955.

In 1959, in the midst of the Cold War, Eisenhower hosted the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev was suspicious of the site, calling it initially where “stray dogs went to die.” They had two days of meetings about the Cold War, after which the two leaders released a joint statement agreeing to reopen talks. However, shortly after the Soviets shot down an American spy plane, Eisenhower’s Soviet Union trip was scrapped.

Foreign affairs brought Eisenhower back to Camp David again in 1961 when he met then-President John F. Kennedy to review the failed Bay of Pigs military invasion of Cuba.

In 1978, then-president Jimmy Carter hosted Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David. Their 13 days of meetings led to a peace agreement known as the Camp David Accords, a major step in curbing years of conflict between Egypt and Israel, according to the State Department’s Office of the Historian. Sadat and Begin were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of the agreement.

In the midst of the energy crisis in 1979, Carter traveled to Camp David for a series of secret meetings over the course of ten days, according to the Carter Center. After leaving the camp, Carter delivered his famed “malaise speech” in which he discussed problems facing the country, including a “crisis of confidence.”

“I invited to Camp David people from almost every segment of our society -- business and labor, teachers and preachers, Governors, mayors, and private citizens,” Carter said in the address.

Former president Ronald Reagan hosted prominent foreign leaders including Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone at Camp David, according to Reagan’s presidential library archives. Reagan reportedly loved the camp, and particularly enjoyed riding horses with his family at the retreat.

In her memoir, "My Turn," former first lady Nancy Reagan described how Camp David “gave her a tremendous feeling of release” and helped her and the president “get their thoughts in order.”

In 1989, then-president George H.W. Bush invited Britain's Prince Charles to Camp David. In 1992, his daughter Dorothy married Bobby Koch at the retreat, the first wedding at the camp.

Former president Bill Clinton attempted to broker a peace accord between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the retreat. The leaders stayed at the camp for more than a week in 2000, with Arafat and Barak both threatening to walk out on talks. Despite round the clock efforts, the summit ended without an agreement.

Visiting Camp David 150 times in his two terms, former president George W. Bush hosted many foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Former president Barack Obama hosted the 38th G8 summit at Camp David in 2012 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, former French President Francois Hollande and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the camp, according to Obama’s White House archives. During the summit, Obama discussed climate change and announced a new alliance on food security with African leaders.

“I think the surroundings gave us an opportunity to hold some intimate discussions and make some genuine progress,” Obama said of the location in a statement.

In 2015, Obama hosted the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at the retreat, welcoming leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss topics including Iran’s nuclear activities and the Syrian chemical war, an archived statement read.

]]>Molly Riley -Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump is headed back to the rustic presidential retreat Camp David, the site of many historic discussions and private meetings between presidents and foreign dignitaries.

On Friday, the President will meet with his administration’s national security team at Camp David, along with Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence, who cut his week-long trip to Central and South America a day short to attend. The talks will focus on the president’s strategy in Afghanistan and in South Asia, according to White House officials.

Trump’s return to Camp David marks his second trip to the retreat, after his first visit over Father’s Day weekend with First Lady Melania Trump, their 11-year old son Barron and the first lady’s parents.

At the time, Trump tweeted, “Camp David is a very special place. An honor to have spent the weekend there. Military runs it so well and are so proud of what they do!”

Camp David is a very special place. An honor to have spent the weekend there. Military runs it so well and are so proud of what they do!

Camp David, located in the Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland, has played a prominent role in many presidential administrations, for both diplomatic meetings and personal vacations. The retreat is also an active military installation. Camp David is only a 30-minute helicopter ride from the White House. It is inaccessible to the public.

History of the camp

The camp was originally called Hi-Catoctin by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) prior to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps transforming it into a military installation.

WPA built the recreational area between 1936-1939 and federal employees used it for family camps. President Franklin Roosevelt first visited the camp in April 1942, after which it was chosen as the country location for presidential retreats. He renamed it “Shangri-la,” based on the fictional Himalayan paradise in James Milton’s 1933 novel “Lost Horizon.”

President Dwight Eisenhower renamed the site Camp David during his first visit in honor of his grandson, David.

Eisenhower also named the main president’s lounge “Aspen” in honor of the first lady, Mamie Eisenhower, who grew up in Colorado. The retreat boasts bedrooms, a small office, fireplaces, an outdoor flagstone patio, a heated swimming pool and a single golf hole with multiple tees.

How former presidents used the camp

Roosevelt started the tradition of hosting foreign leaders at the camp by inviting Sir Winston Churchill in 1943 at the height of World War II to review plans for the Allied invasion of Normandy. Roosevelt was photographed fishing with Churchill at a creek near the camp, and Churchill remarked that “no fish were caught” but Roosevelt “seemed to enjoy it very much, and was in great spirits”, according to Churchill’s “War Memoirs.”

Eisenhower visited the retreat frequently and added a bomb shelter, the golf course and several golf tees, as the Eisenhower archives note. Eisenhower was the first president to travel to Camp David from Washington, D.C., by helicopter, which greatly reduced the commute. He held meetings with his Cabinet and National Security Council at the retreat while recovering from a heart attack in 1955.

In 1959, in the midst of the Cold War, Eisenhower hosted the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev was suspicious of the site, calling it initially where “stray dogs went to die.” They had two days of meetings about the Cold War, after which the two leaders released a joint statement agreeing to reopen talks. However, shortly after the Soviets shot down an American spy plane, Eisenhower’s Soviet Union trip was scrapped.

Foreign affairs brought Eisenhower back to Camp David again in 1961 when he met then-President John F. Kennedy to review the failed Bay of Pigs military invasion of Cuba.

In 1978, then-president Jimmy Carter hosted Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David. Their 13 days of meetings led to a peace agreement known as the Camp David Accords, a major step in curbing years of conflict between Egypt and Israel, according to the State Department’s Office of the Historian. Sadat and Begin were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of the agreement.

In the midst of the energy crisis in 1979, Carter traveled to Camp David for a series of secret meetings over the course of ten days, according to the Carter Center. After leaving the camp, Carter delivered his famed “malaise speech” in which he discussed problems facing the country, including a “crisis of confidence.”

“I invited to Camp David people from almost every segment of our society -- business and labor, teachers and preachers, Governors, mayors, and private citizens,” Carter said in the address.

Former president Ronald Reagan hosted prominent foreign leaders including Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone at Camp David, according to Reagan’s presidential library archives. Reagan reportedly loved the camp, and particularly enjoyed riding horses with his family at the retreat.

In her memoir, "My Turn," former first lady Nancy Reagan described how Camp David “gave her a tremendous feeling of release” and helped her and the president “get their thoughts in order.”

In 1989, then-president George H.W. Bush invited Britain's Prince Charles to Camp David. In 1992, his daughter Dorothy married Bobby Koch at the retreat, the first wedding at the camp.

Former president Bill Clinton attempted to broker a peace accord between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the retreat. The leaders stayed at the camp for more than a week in 2000, with Arafat and Barak both threatening to walk out on talks. Despite round the clock efforts, the summit ended without an agreement.

Visiting Camp David 150 times in his two terms, former president George W. Bush hosted many foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Former president Barack Obama hosted the 38th G8 summit at Camp David in 2012 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, former French President Francois Hollande and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the camp, according to Obama’s White House archives. During the summit, Obama discussed climate change and announced a new alliance on food security with African leaders.

“I think the surroundings gave us an opportunity to hold some intimate discussions and make some genuine progress,” Obama said of the location in a statement.

In 2015, Obama hosted the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at the retreat, welcoming leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss topics including Iran’s nuclear activities and the Syrian chemical war, an archived statement read.

]]>White House: Trump finding 'convenient' time to speak with Charlottesville victim's familyhttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/87e2187048587967c5f528a704032679
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 13:22:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/87e2187048587967c5f528a704032679Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump has yet to speak with the family of Heather Heyer, the woman killed in Saturday's violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, the White House said, despite his assurances on Tuesday that he would do so.

Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters told reporters in New Jersey on Thursday that the White House is working to identify a convenient time for the discussion between Trump and Heyer's family to take place.

"We appreciate the unifying words that Heather's mother spoke yesterday," Walters told reporters. "We are working on identifying a time that is convenient for the family to speak with the president. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

In the midst of a highly charged press conference Tuesday, Trump highlighted the fact that Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, had thanked him for saying something about her daughter publicly.

"Thank you, President Trump, for those words of comfort and for denouncing those who promote violence and hatred," Bro had said in a statement on Monday.

Trump said Tuesday that a conversation with the family would be forthcoming.

"I will be reaching out, I'll be reaching out," he said.

When a reporter followed up to ask when the call would take place, the president pivoted to talk instead about Bro and his remarks denouncing the "hatred, bigotry and violence" that occurred over the weekend.

"I thought that the statement put out -- the mother's statement -- I thought was a beautiful statement," said Trump of Bro's comments. "I’ll tell you, it was something that I really appreciated. I thought it was terrific. And really, under the kind of stress that she’s under, and the heartache she’s under, I thought putting out that statement to me was really something I won't forget. Thank you all very much. Thank you."

Trump was criticized both for not specifically condemning hate groups on Saturday, and again during Tuesday's news conference when he reiterated that "both sides" were to blame for the violence in the central Virginia city.

Trump has utilized social media in recent days to speak about Heyer and the two Virginia state police officers who died in a helicopter crash as they were assisting in response efforts related to the protests. Trump's most recent tweet was published ahead of Heyer's memorial service Wednesday.

Memorial service today for beautiful and incredible Heather Heyer, a truly special young woman. She will be long remembered by all!

Memorial service today for beautiful and incredible Heather Heyer, a truly special young woman. She will be long remembered by all!

]]>Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump has yet to speak with the family of Heather Heyer, the woman killed in Saturday's violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, the White House said, despite his assurances on Tuesday that he would do so.

Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters told reporters in New Jersey on Thursday that the White House is working to identify a convenient time for the discussion between Trump and Heyer's family to take place.

"We appreciate the unifying words that Heather's mother spoke yesterday," Walters told reporters. "We are working on identifying a time that is convenient for the family to speak with the president. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

In the midst of a highly charged press conference Tuesday, Trump highlighted the fact that Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, had thanked him for saying something about her daughter publicly.

"Thank you, President Trump, for those words of comfort and for denouncing those who promote violence and hatred," Bro had said in a statement on Monday.

Trump said Tuesday that a conversation with the family would be forthcoming.

"I will be reaching out, I'll be reaching out," he said.

When a reporter followed up to ask when the call would take place, the president pivoted to talk instead about Bro and his remarks denouncing the "hatred, bigotry and violence" that occurred over the weekend.

"I thought that the statement put out -- the mother's statement -- I thought was a beautiful statement," said Trump of Bro's comments. "I’ll tell you, it was something that I really appreciated. I thought it was terrific. And really, under the kind of stress that she’s under, and the heartache she’s under, I thought putting out that statement to me was really something I won't forget. Thank you all very much. Thank you."

Trump was criticized both for not specifically condemning hate groups on Saturday, and again during Tuesday's news conference when he reiterated that "both sides" were to blame for the violence in the central Virginia city.

Trump has utilized social media in recent days to speak about Heyer and the two Virginia state police officers who died in a helicopter crash as they were assisting in response efforts related to the protests. Trump's most recent tweet was published ahead of Heyer's memorial service Wednesday.

Memorial service today for beautiful and incredible Heather Heyer, a truly special young woman. She will be long remembered by all!

Memorial service today for beautiful and incredible Heather Heyer, a truly special young woman. She will be long remembered by all!

]]>Trump calls removal of Confederate memorials 'sad'http://wbch.com/news/political-news/a864f8638784048afc1db5f65930e8d2
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 09:26:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/a864f8638784048afc1db5f65930e8d2ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump Thursday called the removal of Confederate statues and memorials "sad," days after deadly violence at a rally to protest the removal of such an effigy in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments,” he wrote in a series of three tweets. “You can't change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson - who's next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish! Also the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!"

Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments. You.....

The tweets echo a sentiment he touched on during a particularly combative news conference Tuesday when he questioned whether statues of former Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, for example, should be removed as well because they were slaveowners.

"So you know what, it’s fine,” Trump said Tuesday. “You’re changing history. You’re changing culture. And you had people -- and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists -- because they should be condemned totally. But you had many people in that group [in Charlottesville] other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

"There were people protesting very quietly the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee," Trump said.

He deferred to local authorities on whether all statues of Confederate Army Gen. Robert E. Lee should remain in place.

"I would say that's up to a local town, community, or the federal government, depending on where it is located," he said Tuesday.

“Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments,” he wrote in a series of three tweets. “You can't change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson - who's next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish! Also the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!"

Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments. You.....

The tweets echo a sentiment he touched on during a particularly combative news conference Tuesday when he questioned whether statues of former Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, for example, should be removed as well because they were slaveowners.

"So you know what, it’s fine,” Trump said Tuesday. “You’re changing history. You’re changing culture. And you had people -- and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists -- because they should be condemned totally. But you had many people in that group [in Charlottesville] other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

"There were people protesting very quietly the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee," Trump said.

He deferred to local authorities on whether all statues of Confederate Army Gen. Robert E. Lee should remain in place.

"I would say that's up to a local town, community, or the federal government, depending on where it is located," he said Tuesday.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Beijing that President Trump had asked military commanders to "develop credible viable military options" and "that's exactly what we're doing." But Dunford also called a military solution to the North Korean threat "horrific."

Dunford's comments came at the same time South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the U.S. has promised to seek its approval before taking military action against North Korea.

The U.S. has over 28,000 service members stationed in South Korea.

"I would consider that North Korea is crossing a red line if it launches an intercontinental ballistic missile again and weaponizes it by putting a nuclear warhead on top of the missile," Moon said Thursday.

Trump has promised "fire and fury" in response to recent North Korean threats. But his chief strategist Steve Bannon said in an interview published Wednesday night that there are no military solutions to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

“There’s no military solution, forget it," Bannon told The American Prospect. "Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us.”

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un threatened to launch missiles into the waters off of Guam last week. Guam is a U.S. island territory and hosts two U.S. military bases.

However, after reviewing the plans, Kim seemed to walk back his threat, saying he would wait and observe the "foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees."

North Korea tested its second intercontinental ballistic missile in late July.

Dunford's comments to reporters followed a nearly week-long trip to Asia, which included stops in South Korea and China.

Earlier in the week, Dunford and his Chinese counterparts signed an agreement designed to "improve communication between their militaries and reduce the chances of miscalculations." A direct line of communication at the three-star level would also be established.

U.S.-Chinese communications are especially crucial as "the region and world are facing the dangers of a nuclear-armed North Korea," according to a Joint Staff press release.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Beijing that President Trump had asked military commanders to "develop credible viable military options" and "that's exactly what we're doing." But Dunford also called a military solution to the North Korean threat "horrific."

Dunford's comments came at the same time South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the U.S. has promised to seek its approval before taking military action against North Korea.

The U.S. has over 28,000 service members stationed in South Korea.

"I would consider that North Korea is crossing a red line if it launches an intercontinental ballistic missile again and weaponizes it by putting a nuclear warhead on top of the missile," Moon said Thursday.

Trump has promised "fire and fury" in response to recent North Korean threats. But his chief strategist Steve Bannon said in an interview published Wednesday night that there are no military solutions to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

“There’s no military solution, forget it," Bannon told The American Prospect. "Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us.”

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un threatened to launch missiles into the waters off of Guam last week. Guam is a U.S. island territory and hosts two U.S. military bases.

However, after reviewing the plans, Kim seemed to walk back his threat, saying he would wait and observe the "foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees."

North Korea tested its second intercontinental ballistic missile in late July.

Dunford's comments to reporters followed a nearly week-long trip to Asia, which included stops in South Korea and China.

Earlier in the week, Dunford and his Chinese counterparts signed an agreement designed to "improve communication between their militaries and reduce the chances of miscalculations." A direct line of communication at the three-star level would also be established.

U.S.-Chinese communications are especially crucial as "the region and world are facing the dangers of a nuclear-armed North Korea," according to a Joint Staff press release.

Trump attacked Flake after he refused to vote for Trump in the presidential election. Earlier this year, Flake published “Conscience of a Conservative,” a book that can be seen as strong rebuke against Trump.

Trump also singled out Sen. Lindsey Graham by name Thursday, slamming the South Carolina senator as “publicity seeking.”

“Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists and people like Ms. [Heather] Heyer,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

“Such a disgusting lie,” he continued. “[Graham] just can't forget his election trouncing.”

Graham on Wednesday criticized the president for saying that white supremacists and counterprotesters were equally at fault for the violence that took place in Charlottesville, which killed 32-year-old Heyer and injured dozens more.

“Through his statements [Tuesday], President Trump took a step backward by again suggesting there is moral equivalency between the white supremacist neo-Nazis and KKK members who attended the Charlottesville rally and people like Ms. Heyer. I, along with many others, do not endorse this moral equivalency,” Graham said.

Graham released a statement on Thursday morning after the president's tweets, saying, "Mr. President, like most I seek to move our nation, my state, and our party forward - toward the light - not back to the darkness ... because of the manner in which you have handled the Charlottesville tragedy you are now receiving praise from some of the most racist and hate-filled individuals and groups in our country. For the sake of our Nation -- as our President -- please fix this."

Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists......

When Trump addressed the country on Sunday - his second statement on Charlottesville - condemning the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists by name and stating that “racism is evil,” Graham had initially responded with a simple tweet: “Well done Mr. President.”

Trump attacked Flake after he refused to vote for Trump in the presidential election. Earlier this year, Flake published “Conscience of a Conservative,” a book that can be seen as strong rebuke against Trump.

Trump also singled out Sen. Lindsey Graham by name Thursday, slamming the South Carolina senator as “publicity seeking.”

“Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists and people like Ms. [Heather] Heyer,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

“Such a disgusting lie,” he continued. “[Graham] just can't forget his election trouncing.”

Graham on Wednesday criticized the president for saying that white supremacists and counterprotesters were equally at fault for the violence that took place in Charlottesville, which killed 32-year-old Heyer and injured dozens more.

“Through his statements [Tuesday], President Trump took a step backward by again suggesting there is moral equivalency between the white supremacist neo-Nazis and KKK members who attended the Charlottesville rally and people like Ms. Heyer. I, along with many others, do not endorse this moral equivalency,” Graham said.

Graham released a statement on Thursday morning after the president's tweets, saying, "Mr. President, like most I seek to move our nation, my state, and our party forward - toward the light - not back to the darkness ... because of the manner in which you have handled the Charlottesville tragedy you are now receiving praise from some of the most racist and hate-filled individuals and groups in our country. For the sake of our Nation -- as our President -- please fix this."

Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists......

When Trump addressed the country on Sunday - his second statement on Charlottesville - condemning the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists by name and stating that “racism is evil,” Graham had initially responded with a simple tweet: “Well done Mr. President.”

"I will be introducing a bill to remove Confederate statues from the US Capitol building," he tweeted. "This is just one step. We have much work to do."

The Capitol building’s National Statuary Hall Collection features at least a dozen monuments that honor Confederate soldiers and politicians, according to records maintained by the Architect of the Capitol.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have also called for the monuments to be removed from the Capitol.

“We will never solve America's race problem if we continue to honor traitors who fought against the United States in order to keep African Americans in chains. By the way, thank god, they lost," CBC Chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-Louisiana, told ABC News in a statement on Monday.

Booker’s announcement comes in wake of a violent weekend protest in Charlottesville, Virginia -- which began in protest of the planned removal of a monument of Confederate General Robert E. Lee -- that left one dead and 19 injured after a car-ramming attack. Police arrested James Alex Fields, 20, and charged him with second-degree murder in the incident.

Confederate monuments are being removed around the country under pressure from those who consider them symbols of racism and white supremacy.

Four Confederate-era monuments were removed late Tuesday night and early Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland, and the governors of Virginia and North Carolina requested the removal of Confederate monuments in their states this week.

President Donald Trump, however, has pushed back against the initiatives to remove the memorials, saying the removal of such monuments is "changing history."

“This week it's Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” Trump said in a press conference on Tuesday.

"I will be introducing a bill to remove Confederate statues from the US Capitol building," he tweeted. "This is just one step. We have much work to do."

The Capitol building’s National Statuary Hall Collection features at least a dozen monuments that honor Confederate soldiers and politicians, according to records maintained by the Architect of the Capitol.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have also called for the monuments to be removed from the Capitol.

“We will never solve America's race problem if we continue to honor traitors who fought against the United States in order to keep African Americans in chains. By the way, thank god, they lost," CBC Chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-Louisiana, told ABC News in a statement on Monday.

Booker’s announcement comes in wake of a violent weekend protest in Charlottesville, Virginia -- which began in protest of the planned removal of a monument of Confederate General Robert E. Lee -- that left one dead and 19 injured after a car-ramming attack. Police arrested James Alex Fields, 20, and charged him with second-degree murder in the incident.

Confederate monuments are being removed around the country under pressure from those who consider them symbols of racism and white supremacy.

Four Confederate-era monuments were removed late Tuesday night and early Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland, and the governors of Virginia and North Carolina requested the removal of Confederate monuments in their states this week.

President Donald Trump, however, has pushed back against the initiatives to remove the memorials, saying the removal of such monuments is "changing history."

“This week it's Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” Trump said in a press conference on Tuesday.

President Trump is slated to be in Phoenix on Tuesday for a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, but that isn't sitting well with mayor Greg Stanton.

"I am disappointed that President Trump has chosen to hold a campaign rally as our nation is still healing from the tragic events in Charlottesville," Stanton said in a statement Wednesday. "If President Trump is coming to Phoenix to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to enflame tensions and further divide our nation."

Stanton bluntly said, "It is my hope that more sound judgment prevails and that he delays his visit."

But a senior campaign adviser told ABC News Wednesday night, "Barring any unforseen events between now and then, there is no chance we will delay the rally," aide said.

Stanton does acknowledge, though, that free speech prevails in this country, so Trump is free to do as he pleases.

"With regard to use of the Phoenix Convention Center for the rally: This is a public facility and open to anyone to rent, including the Trump campaign," he said. "Our Constitution protects the right to free speech, even for those we disagree with or those who don't represent the values we hold dear as a community."

Forty-two minutes after Stanton tweeted his statement, Trump tweeted a link to reserve tickets to the rally, writing, "Join me at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 22nd in Phoenix, Arizona at the Phoenix Convention Center!"

President Trump is slated to be in Phoenix on Tuesday for a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, but that isn't sitting well with mayor Greg Stanton.

"I am disappointed that President Trump has chosen to hold a campaign rally as our nation is still healing from the tragic events in Charlottesville," Stanton said in a statement Wednesday. "If President Trump is coming to Phoenix to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to enflame tensions and further divide our nation."

Stanton bluntly said, "It is my hope that more sound judgment prevails and that he delays his visit."

But a senior campaign adviser told ABC News Wednesday night, "Barring any unforseen events between now and then, there is no chance we will delay the rally," aide said.

Stanton does acknowledge, though, that free speech prevails in this country, so Trump is free to do as he pleases.

"With regard to use of the Phoenix Convention Center for the rally: This is a public facility and open to anyone to rent, including the Trump campaign," he said. "Our Constitution protects the right to free speech, even for those we disagree with or those who don't represent the values we hold dear as a community."

Forty-two minutes after Stanton tweeted his statement, Trump tweeted a link to reserve tickets to the rally, writing, "Join me at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 22nd in Phoenix, Arizona at the Phoenix Convention Center!"

Members of his own party have come out against his response and now two of his economic councils have disbanded as business leaders distance themselves from his remarks about the nature of the crowds in Charlottesville.

Here's how the events in recent days have led to Trump's latest turmoil.

Chaos in Charlottesville

The activity this past weekend in the small college town centered around a protest of the planned removal of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army during the Civil War.

The events started on Friday, Aug. 11, when a large group of people -- many of whom were carrying lit tiki torches -- marched through the University of Virginia campus. Many members of the crowd were seen wearing Nazi-related clothing and at points chanting anti-Semitic cries.

The planned rally came the next day, and the members of the groups protesting the removal of the statue, including a number of so-called alt-right groups and white supremacists and neo-Nazis, were confronted by counterprotesters.

Violent clashes ensued, and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe ultimately declared a state of emergency in Charlottesville just before noon in response to the violence.

The most violent incident occurred at 1:42 p.m., when a car rammed into a crowd of people demonstrating against the white nationalist gathering, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring others.Trump's initial responses

First lady Melania Trump was the first member of the Trump family to respond to the violence, posting a call to "communicate w/o hate in our hearts" on Twitter.

Her husband followed suit, writing that "We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for," before making his first public statement in Bedminster, New Jersey.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. On many sides," he said, without going on to mention or directly call out the white supremacists and neo-Nazis involved.

[To read a full timeline of all of Trump's statements and tweets, click here.]

A number of Republicans, including two of Trump's former rivals, Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, issued statements using harsher words than Trump. Cruz named the groups and called them "repulsive and evil," while Rubio wrote on Twitter that it was "Very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists."

The following morning, Sunday, Aug. 13, a White House spokesperson who would not be publicly identified clarified Trump's statement, saying that his condemnation "of course that includes white supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups."

A clearer condemnation

After nearly two full days of criticism from members of his own party and the public, Trump made another statement from the White House, where he was more direct.

"Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans," Trump said Monday.

His statement was seen as being "too little, too late," by some critics, including Jonathan Greenblatt, the director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

"Let's be clear: I think we should expect our leader in the highest office in the land to step above the lowest possible bar," Greenblatt said on a call with reporters on Monday shortly after Trump's comments.

"We have seen a pattern of the president equivocating” when it comes to denouncing hate groups, including white supremacists and anti-Semitic groups, Greenblatt said.

Doubling down

On Tuesday, Trump took questions at a press conference about infrastructure reform plans and ended up lashing out at the media, questioning the nature of the crowds in Charlottesville and defending his initial "excellent" statement.

"I think there is blame on both sides. You look at both sides. I think there is blame on both sides," he said.

"You had some very bad people in that group. You also had some very fine people on both sides,” he added.

The press conference prompted outcry once again, and a number of key Republicans reiterated that they stand against racism.

"We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity," House Majority Leader Paul Ryan, R-Wis., wrote on Twitter about an hour and a half after the news conference.

One of the first ones to respond, however, was David Duke, former imperial wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who tweeted, "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa," he wrote, apparently referring to the Black Lives Matter and the anti-fascist movements.

Trump's remarks also led several business leaders to leave the American Manufacturing Council beginning on Monday, with the president eventually announcing on Twitter Wednesday that he was disbanding the manufacturing council and the separate Strategic and Policy Forum.

]]>ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- The reverberations from the violence in Charlottesville continue to echo as President Donald Trump faces further fallout from his handling of the situation.

Members of his own party have come out against his response and now two of his economic councils have disbanded as business leaders distance themselves from his remarks about the nature of the crowds in Charlottesville.

Here's how the events in recent days have led to Trump's latest turmoil.

Chaos in Charlottesville

The activity this past weekend in the small college town centered around a protest of the planned removal of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army during the Civil War.

The events started on Friday, Aug. 11, when a large group of people -- many of whom were carrying lit tiki torches -- marched through the University of Virginia campus. Many members of the crowd were seen wearing Nazi-related clothing and at points chanting anti-Semitic cries.

The planned rally came the next day, and the members of the groups protesting the removal of the statue, including a number of so-called alt-right groups and white supremacists and neo-Nazis, were confronted by counterprotesters.

Violent clashes ensued, and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe ultimately declared a state of emergency in Charlottesville just before noon in response to the violence.

The most violent incident occurred at 1:42 p.m., when a car rammed into a crowd of people demonstrating against the white nationalist gathering, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring others.Trump's initial responses

First lady Melania Trump was the first member of the Trump family to respond to the violence, posting a call to "communicate w/o hate in our hearts" on Twitter.

Her husband followed suit, writing that "We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for," before making his first public statement in Bedminster, New Jersey.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. On many sides," he said, without going on to mention or directly call out the white supremacists and neo-Nazis involved.

[To read a full timeline of all of Trump's statements and tweets, click here.]

A number of Republicans, including two of Trump's former rivals, Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, issued statements using harsher words than Trump. Cruz named the groups and called them "repulsive and evil," while Rubio wrote on Twitter that it was "Very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists."

The following morning, Sunday, Aug. 13, a White House spokesperson who would not be publicly identified clarified Trump's statement, saying that his condemnation "of course that includes white supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups."

A clearer condemnation

After nearly two full days of criticism from members of his own party and the public, Trump made another statement from the White House, where he was more direct.

"Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans," Trump said Monday.

His statement was seen as being "too little, too late," by some critics, including Jonathan Greenblatt, the director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

"Let's be clear: I think we should expect our leader in the highest office in the land to step above the lowest possible bar," Greenblatt said on a call with reporters on Monday shortly after Trump's comments.

"We have seen a pattern of the president equivocating” when it comes to denouncing hate groups, including white supremacists and anti-Semitic groups, Greenblatt said.

Doubling down

On Tuesday, Trump took questions at a press conference about infrastructure reform plans and ended up lashing out at the media, questioning the nature of the crowds in Charlottesville and defending his initial "excellent" statement.

"I think there is blame on both sides. You look at both sides. I think there is blame on both sides," he said.

"You had some very bad people in that group. You also had some very fine people on both sides,” he added.

The press conference prompted outcry once again, and a number of key Republicans reiterated that they stand against racism.

"We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity," House Majority Leader Paul Ryan, R-Wis., wrote on Twitter about an hour and a half after the news conference.

One of the first ones to respond, however, was David Duke, former imperial wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who tweeted, "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa," he wrote, apparently referring to the Black Lives Matter and the anti-fascist movements.

Trump's remarks also led several business leaders to leave the American Manufacturing Council beginning on Monday, with the president eventually announcing on Twitter Wednesday that he was disbanding the manufacturing council and the separate Strategic and Policy Forum.

]]>Virginia Gov. calls for removal of Confederate statueshttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/9818d0b29139ff3ce9019a122afb0d85
Wed, 16 Aug 2017 20:41:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/9818d0b29139ff3ce9019a122afb0d85mcdustelroy/iStock/Thinkstock(RICHMOND, Va.) -- Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has called for all of the state's public Confederate statues to be removed and relocated.

The governor said on Wednesday that he hoped residents in the state would agree the statues represent a “barrier to progress, inclusion and equality.”

“As we attempt to heal and learn from the tragic events in Charlottesville, I encourage Virginia's localities and the General Assembly -- which are vested with the legal authority -- to take down these monuments and relocate them to museums or more appropriate settings.” McAuliffe said in a statement.

McAuliffe, who called a state of emergency in Virginia in the wake of Saturday's violence, added that Charlottesville showed how monuments “that celebrate the leadership of the Confederacy” have now become a symbol of hatred and division.

The Virginia state legislature has the authority to remove the Confederate monuments. McAuliffe doesn’t have the power to act on it unilaterally.

McAuliffe made the statement after attending the memorial service Wednesday morning for 32-year old Heather Heyer, who died after 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. allegedly rammed a car into other vehicles in a crowd of counter-protesters on Saturday. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, was also in attendance.

Dr. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who is backed by former president Barack Obama as a candidate to replace Gov. McAuliffe in November, also said the statues should be “moved to museums.”

“We should also do more to elevate the parts of our history that have all too often been underrepresented. That means memorializing civil rights advocates like Barbara Johns and Oliver Hill, who helped move our Commonwealth closer towards equality,” Northam said in a statement, referring to Johns, a civil rights pioneer, and Hill, the civil rights attorney who helped end the doctrine for racial segregation, “separate but equal.”

Richmond, Virginia mayor Levar Stoney also spoke out about the statues on Wednesday, urging the immediate examination of removal or relocation of some or all of the statues lining the city's Monument Avenue.

Stoney stressed that this process would allow for the “public to be heard” and for a decision to be made after “constructive dialogue.”

The mayor’s decision marks a sharp turn from his initial plan two months ago to maintain the statues but add historical context on why they were erected, according to a statement.

McAuliffe, Northam and Stoney’s push for the removal of the monuments is at odds with President Donald Trump’s comments at a press conference Tuesday, where the president sarcastically asked if statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson’s should also be taken down.

"George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So will George Washington now lose his status? ... How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him. Good. Are we going to take down his statue? He was a major slave owner,” Trump said.

The Charlottesville city council’s decision to remove the Lee statue -- which went up in 1924 -- sparked the Unite The Right rally from white supremacists and neo-Nazis on Saturday.

Not all Virginia politicians agreed on the need to remove the statues.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie called for education instead on his website.

“Rather than glorifying their objects, statues should be instructional. While ensuring that Confederate statues are not exalting them but educating about them, we should do more to elevate Virginia’s history in expanding freedom and equality by extolling the many Virginians who played critical roles in this regard,” said Gillespie.

Gillespie was joined by Republican state attorney general candidate John Adams on Twitter who cautioned that Virginians should be concerned of a government that wanted to “erase history.”

Terrible idea. Tearing down our history will not be unifying, and all should be concerned about a government that attempts to erase history. https://t.co/YUgC18AEIw

Charlottesville mayor Mike Signer supported keeping his city's Robert E. Lee statue in an interview with National Public Radio on Sunday, saying that while he respected "different opinions," he believed one of his African-American neighbor's reasoning that the statues should be there "so that [her] grandchildren know what happened there," was important to the discussion.

]]>mcdustelroy/iStock/Thinkstock(RICHMOND, Va.) -- Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has called for all of the state's public Confederate statues to be removed and relocated.

The governor said on Wednesday that he hoped residents in the state would agree the statues represent a “barrier to progress, inclusion and equality.”

“As we attempt to heal and learn from the tragic events in Charlottesville, I encourage Virginia's localities and the General Assembly -- which are vested with the legal authority -- to take down these monuments and relocate them to museums or more appropriate settings.” McAuliffe said in a statement.

McAuliffe, who called a state of emergency in Virginia in the wake of Saturday's violence, added that Charlottesville showed how monuments “that celebrate the leadership of the Confederacy” have now become a symbol of hatred and division.

The Virginia state legislature has the authority to remove the Confederate monuments. McAuliffe doesn’t have the power to act on it unilaterally.

McAuliffe made the statement after attending the memorial service Wednesday morning for 32-year old Heather Heyer, who died after 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. allegedly rammed a car into other vehicles in a crowd of counter-protesters on Saturday. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, was also in attendance.

Dr. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who is backed by former president Barack Obama as a candidate to replace Gov. McAuliffe in November, also said the statues should be “moved to museums.”

“We should also do more to elevate the parts of our history that have all too often been underrepresented. That means memorializing civil rights advocates like Barbara Johns and Oliver Hill, who helped move our Commonwealth closer towards equality,” Northam said in a statement, referring to Johns, a civil rights pioneer, and Hill, the civil rights attorney who helped end the doctrine for racial segregation, “separate but equal.”

Richmond, Virginia mayor Levar Stoney also spoke out about the statues on Wednesday, urging the immediate examination of removal or relocation of some or all of the statues lining the city's Monument Avenue.

Stoney stressed that this process would allow for the “public to be heard” and for a decision to be made after “constructive dialogue.”

The mayor’s decision marks a sharp turn from his initial plan two months ago to maintain the statues but add historical context on why they were erected, according to a statement.

McAuliffe, Northam and Stoney’s push for the removal of the monuments is at odds with President Donald Trump’s comments at a press conference Tuesday, where the president sarcastically asked if statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson’s should also be taken down.

"George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So will George Washington now lose his status? ... How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him. Good. Are we going to take down his statue? He was a major slave owner,” Trump said.

The Charlottesville city council’s decision to remove the Lee statue -- which went up in 1924 -- sparked the Unite The Right rally from white supremacists and neo-Nazis on Saturday.

Not all Virginia politicians agreed on the need to remove the statues.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie called for education instead on his website.

“Rather than glorifying their objects, statues should be instructional. While ensuring that Confederate statues are not exalting them but educating about them, we should do more to elevate Virginia’s history in expanding freedom and equality by extolling the many Virginians who played critical roles in this regard,” said Gillespie.

Gillespie was joined by Republican state attorney general candidate John Adams on Twitter who cautioned that Virginians should be concerned of a government that wanted to “erase history.”

Terrible idea. Tearing down our history will not be unifying, and all should be concerned about a government that attempts to erase history. https://t.co/YUgC18AEIw

Charlottesville mayor Mike Signer supported keeping his city's Robert E. Lee statue in an interview with National Public Radio on Sunday, saying that while he respected "different opinions," he believed one of his African-American neighbor's reasoning that the statues should be there "so that [her] grandchildren know what happened there," was important to the discussion.

In an interview published Wednesday with The American Prospect, a publication whose goal is to "advance liberal and progressive goals," the White House chief strategist dismissed the far-right as irrelevant and downplayed his role in its development.

"Ethno-nationalism -— it's losers," he said. "It's a fringe element. I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more ... These guys are a collection of clowns."

While talking about the far-right, Bannon took the opportunity to slam the Democrats' fondness for tackling "identity politics."

"The Democrats, the longer they talk about identity politics, I got 'em," Bannon said. "I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."

In the interview, Bannon also seemed to counter President Trump's incendiary comments about unleashing "fire and fury" upon North Korea if the rogue nation continues to threaten the U.S.

"There’s no military solution [to North Korea’s nuclear threats], forget it," he said. "Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that ten million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us."

Bannon did have harsh words for China, which he says is at war with the U.S. -- economically, that is. He added that the U.S. is at risk of losing its economic superpower status to the world's most populous country.

"We're at economic war with China," Bannon said. "It’s in all their literature. They’re not shy about saying what they’re doing. One of us is going to be a hegemon in 25 or 30 years and it’s gonna be them if we go down this path. On Korea, they’re just tapping us along. It’s just a sideshow."

He continued, "To me, the economic war with China is everything. And we have to be maniacally focused on that. If we continue to lose it, we're five years away, I think, ten years at the most, of hitting an inflection point from which we'll never be able to recover."

Bannon's plan to counter China's increasingly strong economic influence is to file a complaint under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act against Chinese coercion of technology transfers from American corporations doing business there, and follow-up complaints against steel and aluminum dumping. "We’re going to run the tables on these guys. We’ve come to the conclusion that they’re in an economic war and they’re crushing us.”

In an interview published Wednesday with The American Prospect, a publication whose goal is to "advance liberal and progressive goals," the White House chief strategist dismissed the far-right as irrelevant and downplayed his role in its development.

"Ethno-nationalism -— it's losers," he said. "It's a fringe element. I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more ... These guys are a collection of clowns."

While talking about the far-right, Bannon took the opportunity to slam the Democrats' fondness for tackling "identity politics."

"The Democrats, the longer they talk about identity politics, I got 'em," Bannon said. "I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."

In the interview, Bannon also seemed to counter President Trump's incendiary comments about unleashing "fire and fury" upon North Korea if the rogue nation continues to threaten the U.S.

"There’s no military solution [to North Korea’s nuclear threats], forget it," he said. "Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that ten million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us."

Bannon did have harsh words for China, which he says is at war with the U.S. -- economically, that is. He added that the U.S. is at risk of losing its economic superpower status to the world's most populous country.

"We're at economic war with China," Bannon said. "It’s in all their literature. They’re not shy about saying what they’re doing. One of us is going to be a hegemon in 25 or 30 years and it’s gonna be them if we go down this path. On Korea, they’re just tapping us along. It’s just a sideshow."

He continued, "To me, the economic war with China is everything. And we have to be maniacally focused on that. If we continue to lose it, we're five years away, I think, ten years at the most, of hitting an inflection point from which we'll never be able to recover."

Bannon's plan to counter China's increasingly strong economic influence is to file a complaint under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act against Chinese coercion of technology transfers from American corporations doing business there, and follow-up complaints against steel and aluminum dumping. "We’re going to run the tables on these guys. We’ve come to the conclusion that they’re in an economic war and they’re crushing us.”